Number of AIDS patients up in C'garh, Raipur tops list

Chhattisgarh government today admitted that the number of AIDS patients has shot up from 1,310 in 2011-12 to 1,550 in 2012-13 in the state, with the highest number of 401 patients being in Raipur.

In a written reply to a question in the state Assembly, Health Minister Amar Agrawal informed that "a total of 1,310 AIDS patients were detected in 2011-12 and 1,550 in 2012-13. Also, 635 people died of AIDS during this period."

"2,556 people were detected HIV positive in 2012-13, while the number was 2,982 in 2011-12," Agrawal informed the House.

The figures tabled before the House suggest concentration is highest in Raipur district with 401 (2012-13) AIDS patients, which was 364 in 2011-12.

The cases detected in Rajnandgaon increased from 99 to 140, Raigarh from 9 to 31, Jagdalpur from 51 to 70, Korba from 48 to 50, Mahasamund from 38 to 61, Kawardha from 52 to 72, Koriya from 12 to 23.

They were up in Balod from 3 to 43, Janjgir-Champa from 31 to 38, Kondagaon from 14 to 15, Sukma from 1 to 7, Bemetara from 9 to 46, Mungeli from 3 to 24, Bijapur from nil to 4 and Balrampur from 4 to 5.

In some districts like Durg the number of such patients decreased from 268 to 265, Bilaspur from 142 to 136, Sarguja from 52 to 21, Kanker from 18 to 14, Dhamtari from 25 to 23, Jashpur from 20 to 11 and Surajpur from 15 to 6.

"353 deaths were reported due to AIDS in 2011-12 and 282 in 2012-13 in the state," the minister said.

A total of Rs 308.48 Lakh has been spent on awareness strategy for sensitising people about AIDS during this period, he added.